The Cochrane Collaboration, an international, non-profit organization, was founded in October 1993. Its mission is to help clinicians, patients, consumers, and others make well-informed decisions about health by preparing, maintaining, and promoting the accessibility of systematic reviews of available evidence on the benefits and risks of health care. In only four short years, the Collaboration has grown to more than 4,000 members worldwide. The Sixth Annual International Cochrane Colloquium, Cochrane VI -- Systematic Reviews: Evidence for Action, will be held October 22-26, 1998 in Baltimore Maryland, hosted by the Baltimore Cochrane Center at the University of Maryland. This will be the first time this annual meeting will be convened in the United States. The overall objective of the Sixth Annual International Cochrane Colloquium is to provide an opportunity for exchange of scientific and research information among members and potential members of the Collaboration, and to reach out to potential partners who will use the work of the Collaboration in decision-making and provision of appropriate health care. The following committees have been formed: Program, Organizing, Scientific, Workshop, and Evaluation Committees. Representatives of the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research's (AHCPR) Evidence-Based Practice Centers (EPC) are playing key roles in planning the conference. The US-based members of the Organizing and Program Committees have met regularly over the past year and have developed a program of plenary sessions, medium and small group meetings, held in parallel and together, designed to accommodate both newcomer and veteran needs. Sessions will comprise didactic presentations; case studies for examining ways to better disseminate the work of the Collaboration and successfully translate evidence into health care policy and practice; oral and poster scientific research presentations; medium-sized and small interactive methods workshops; a debate; and annual meetings for Collaborative Review Groups and other Cochrane entities.